Gadget Wizardry

Gadgets have made our children seem like wizards! Youngsters, nowadays, can work magic with computers, phones, tablets and whatnot – often leaving gleeful parents wondering if their toddler is the next Zuckerberg!

But unbeknown to some parents, the gadget wizardry is turning our children into know-nothing ADHD-robots ready to be monetized with endless stream of click-bait ads to drive them to their next rabbit hole.

Technology has helped us solve complex problems (complexity) but it’s also used to abstracted complicated systems to the detriment of the necessary fundamental understanding of otherwise basic subsystems. I’ll posit that 99.9% of teenagers (and perhaps even adults) can send text messages blindfolded but have no clue how said messages reaches the recipients.

The abstraction has created the “illusion of knowledge” that’s not only dangerous for our survival as species, but also hard to reverse without rethinking the educational models and delivery.

PS: Alexandria peeps with kids in Bolton High School – I’ll be speaking tomorrow morning (April 13 2017 – 8:10-8:45am) at Bolton on how to be creative in the age of technology abstraction. I’ll also touch on career opportunities in tech industry and entrepreneurship.